AAP immunization social media toolkit update

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released an immunization-related social media toolkit to support providers who are either using social media or considering it as a way to communicate with their patient families and communities.

The toolkit includes guidance, shareable tweets and posts, memes and videos.

Immunization comic launched

Dr. Kumanan Wilson, a Physician and Epidemiologist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and his team recently launched a novel comic to help young children learn about immunity, diseases and vaccinations. The digital comic book, called Immunity Warriors: Invasion of the Alien Zombies, is available online and through the CANImmunize mobile app, an app for Canadians to maintain immunization records.

WHO publishes two noteworthy items

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published the following in the Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER):

Fact sheet on Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) — The WHO published an updated version of its fact sheet about GBS in the Feb. 3, 2017, issue of WER. The sheet describes symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment and care. Key points highlighted at the start of the piece included:

The rarity of this condition

The more common occurrence in males and in adults

The typical complete recovery even in severe cases

The scope of severe cases

The recommended treatments consisting of monitoring, supportive care and some immunological therapies

Position paper on tetanus — The 24-page document reviews details of disease and vaccination programming. The WHO recommends vaccination for all infants worldwide, promotes use of tetanus-diphtheria containing vaccines over tetanus-only versions, and indicates a dosing schedule consisting of three primary doses and three booster doses, preferably completed by adolescence. Catch-up schedules are also discussed. The paper was published in the Feb. 10, 2017, issue of WER.

Materials in this section are updated as new information and vaccines become available. The Vaccine Education Center staff regularly reviews materials for accuracy.

You should not consider the information in this site to be specific, professional medical advice for your personal health or for your family's personal health. You should not use it to replace any relationship with a physician or other qualified healthcare professional. For medical concerns, including decisions about vaccinations, medications and other treatments, you should always consult your physician or, in serious cases, seek immediate assistance from emergency personnel.